CARFCO

The Japanese automaker, Toyota, has already been inundated with 138 private class-action lawsuits, 100 of the including personal injury and wrongful death cases in the United States that have stemmed from questionable safety standards. The company now faces an additional dilemma of whether to accept a record fine of $16.4 million US that could cast an admission of ‘wrong doing’ on their part, adding more negative publicity to the company’s quickly tarnishing reputation. The proposed fine is the most the United States government could issue. Toyota has until April 19 to accept or decline.

Toyota has found itself in a world of trouble after the US Transportation Department found them guilty of hiding a dangerous defect and failing to alert regulators quickly enough to the safety issues. These defects were found on some of Toyota’s best selling models such as the Camry and Corolla. The company has recalled more than six million US built vehicles and more than eight million world wide due to acceleration and breaking problems in multiple models. 270,000 vehicles have been recalled in Canada over sticky break concerns; 3,300 of them in the Prius hybrid.

The US Transportation Department felt that Toyota had failed to live up to its legal obligations when 70,000 pages of records were provided from the company showing that Toyota knew of the safety default with sticky breaks in more than 2.3 million vehicles back in September of 2009, but failed to issue a warning until the following January. They are accused of knowingly hiding a dangerous defect from US officially and not taking appropriate action to protect the millions of driver and families who bought their vehicles. Under US law, automakers have five days to notify NHTSA if a determined safety defect exists.

The second largest fine ever issued to an auto manufacturing company was back in 2004 when GM was slapped with a hefty $1 million fine for not responding quickly enough to a recall on almost 600,000 vehicles that had windshield wiper failure.

It may be easier for Toyota to just pay the fine as opposed to fighting and continuing to bring negative attention to its products. The company has already announced that it appointed a new chief quality officer for North America and has given the North American office a greater role in making safety related decisions. The vehicles in question are the 2007-10 Camry, 2009-10 Corolla, 2009-10 Matrix, 2005-10 Avalon, 2010 Highlander and 2007-10 Tundra. To date, 52 deaths have been related to the malfunctioning breaks.

If you too have been in an accident and have been overwhelmed with financial stress, private financial institutions can help. They offer bad credit loans for vehicle repairs to clients who will not traditionally qualify at banks. Applications can be found on line, 24-hours a day.

By Amy Nutt

Summer car trips can make great family memories, or they can be great big disasters. Before you head out on the open road with the kids in tow, make sure that you have everything you need and have checked your car over for safety. Nothing would be worse than getting on the road without some important item!

Car Safety Checklist

One thing you definitely want to do before heading out for a big trip is to check your car to make sure it is safe. Car problems are sometimes unavoidable, but you would not want to ruin your big summer trip over a problem that could have been avoided. Here are the things you should always check before leaving home:

*    Tire Pressure - make sure there is enough air in the tires. Check the owner’s manual to see how much pressure your tires should have.
*    Oil - check the oil level and add oil if needed.
*    Transmission fluid - check the transmission fluid levels and add more if needed.
*    Other fluids - check the brake fluid, washer fluid, and power-steering fluid levels as well.
*    Seat belts - check seat belts to make sure they lock correctly and are not worn out.
*    Lights - make sure all lights on your car work, including turn signals and high beams.
*    Wipers - make sure your wiper blades are in good condition. If they are old, consider replacing them before you leave.
*    Battery - check the battery terminal for corrosion.
*    Spare tire - make sure your spare tire is ready to be used if needed. Make sure you have a jack to use if you have a flat.

Your car is in good shape for your trip if you have checked all of these items.

Personal Safety Checklist

Once you know your car is in working order, make sure that you have the personal safety items your family would need if you were stranded for a day or so. Of course, this is likely not going to happen, but if it does you need to be prepared. Here is what you need to have:

*    First-aid kit
*    Tool kit
*    Jumper cables
*    Warm blanket (if traveling where it cools off at night)
*    Non-perishable food
*    Bottled water
*    Flairs or hazard sign
*    Emergency entertainment items if traveling with children

If you have this in an emergency kit in your car, you will be in good shape if you end up on the side of the road with car trouble.

Personal Checklist

Now that you have your safety concerns met, you need to make sure that you have the personal items you need on the road. Before you leave, make sure you have the following:

*    Wallet or purse
*    Some cash
*    Credit card for emergencies (even if you don’t intend to use it)
*    ID
*    House keys
*    Sunglasses
*    Insurance cards
*    Snacks
*    Sewing kit
*    Pillows

These items will help your trip to be as comfortable as possible.

Children’s Checklist

If you are traveling with children, there are a few essentials you must have. Kids are not as patient in the car as adults, so they need to stay entertained and fed. Make sure you have these before leaving on a family summer trip:

*    Travel toys - avoid those toys that will get dropped and send mom on a hunt for tiny pieces
*    Travel media player or movie player
*    Books on tape
*    Healthy snacks
*    Leak-proof beverages
*    Diapers (if needed)
*    Change of clothes for each child
*    Pacifiers (if used by babies)
*    Bottles and bottle gear

If you have the things on each of these checklists, you should have a pleasant trip. Even if something unexpected happens and you need roadside assistance, you will be prepared. So pack up, get on the road, and have fun on your next summer trip!

Providing Emergency Road side assistance across Canada with over 140 locations. available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is designed to assist you in an emergency when the vehicle you’re driving or riding becomes disabled.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

By Dennise Ryder

It’s a hot topic right now, the topic of buying a car in United States instead of Canada. Many Canadian’s in the market for a new car see the differences in MSRP (manufacturer’s suggested retail price) between a car in Canada and the same car in the United States. That difference in many cases makes the case of buying a car in the United States instead of Canada that much stronger and many are making the hop over the border or researching online to check things out.

Buying a car in United States isn’t as easy as it may seem. Many Canadian’s think all they have to do is buy the car, pay the duty and voila they are on their way to saving HUGE!

In addition to the paying of the duty there are a few other hurdles Canadian’s have to overcome when. Here is just a quick low down of what you need to consider if you are thinking about buying a new car:

1.   Dealerships have a franchise agreement which prohibits them from selling cars to anyone outside of the country. I have heard stories of people actually finding dealerships who will break their franchise agreements, but it is a challenge.

2.  The new car you buy is going to be cash because you won’t be able to qualify for US financing or leasing rates and any rebates are not applicable to you.

3.  If you were contemplating on using your current car as a trade you might face a challenge again. The US market if "fat" with used cars and may not even want to consider your car in the deal.

4.  If you live close to a border crossing then making the trek over a few times isn’t such a hardship for you, but, if you leave further away plan on making a few weekend trips and add that expense into the mix.

5. If you are thinking about buying a car in the United States instead of Canada know that there are equipment modifications you need to make to the vehicle you can check them out here Buying a car in United States instead of Canada

6. Check with Transport Canada and Canada Customs to make sure the car you are looking at Buying a car in United States instead of Canada is admissible into Canada and what other documentation you need.

7. If you are looking at buying a used car the hoops and jumps aren’t as great but check and make sure.

Buying a car in United States instead of Canada may seem better when comparing MSRPs between the United States and Canada but there is a lot more you need to consider. Make sure you do your research not only on the car but also what requirements you need to look at.

Dennise Ryder writes from her home in Toronto, Canada. Car shopping can be a daunting task and no doubt we want to make the BEST deal possible. Do your research, take the time and read more car shopping  and car buying tips.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dennise_Ryder http://EzineArticles.com/?Car-Buying-Tips—Buying-a-Car-in-United-States-Instead-of-Canada&id=843968

By Richard M Jenkins

Airbags are a common feature in a majority of cars on the road today.Over the years they have proved successful at preventing injuries to drivers and car passengers who have been involved in a road traffic accident. Airbags are a robust and effective piece of safety equipment that will happy stay inactive for years waiting silently for the one moment that they will be required to work.

Popular belief seems to think that when an airbag is called upon to inflate compressed air is blasted into the bag. This however is wrong. Given the speeds required what actually inflates the airbag is a chemical reaction. A chemical called sodium azide is heated and this interaction produces nitrogen which rapidly inflates the airbag. To initiate this reaction sensors in the front of the vehicle on sensing a collision send an electric charge to the sodium azide which heats the chemical forcing it to breakdown and produce the nitrogen gas. All this happens in an average of 30 milliseconds.

It is very rare for an airbag to deploy accidentally so when an airbag does deploy the likely cause is a crash or collision. For anyone finding themselves in such a situation there are important points to be aware of.

The chemical reaction used to inflate airbags also produces chemicals that could be harmful to humans. To counteract this other chemical are used to neutralize the harmful chemicals. Add all this to the chemical explosion used to inflate the airbag and quite a lot of smoke is produced. This smoke is harmless, however can prove a shock to anyone witnessing it. In fact it is not uncommon for people to see the smoke and panic, thinking that their vehicle post collision is about to burst into flames. Statistically this is unlikely however the panic forces them to quickly exit their vehicle an action which can often cause more harm than good. After a road accident the likelihood of personal injury is high. In such a situation often the best thing to do is to remain still and wait for professional medical personnel to give you the all clear.

So if ever an airbag goes off in a car you are traveling in the first thing to remember is do not panic and be absolutely sure that any injury you have will not be aggravated by exited the vehicle.

For more driving advice see the UK driving test and UK driving schools website. A site for learner drivers which includes free mock theory tests and a driving test DVD.

Article Source:  http://EzineArticles.com/?Know-What-Happens-When-An-Airbag-Deploys&id=1162340